Recipe: Eggplant Gnocchi

Grant Sato welcomes the winners of the fourth annual Ewa Sweet Onion Culinary Competition, hosted by Aloun Farms.

Marietoni Hipolito, 17, and Darien Murosaki, 16, of Pearl City High School each won a $1,250 scholarship to attend Leeward Community College’s culinary program.

They demonstrate their eggplant gnocchi with garlic tofu “Alfredo” sauce, topped with raw zucchini and roasted vegetables. Here is their gnocchi recipe.

• 1 russet potato
• 1 long eggplant
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
• Salt, to taste

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place whole potato in a pot, cover with water and simmer until soft. Remove from water and set aside to cool.

Wrap eggplant in foil and bake until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Spoon flesh out of skin onto foil-lined pan and return to oven for 15 minutes to further dry it. Discard eggplant skin.

Peel cooked potato, and along with eggplant, run through a food mill or ricer.

Place in bowl and cool if necessary. When cool, stir egg into potato mixture.

In another bowl, combine flour, Parmesan and salt; fold into potato mixture.

Once the gnocchi dough is formed, lay on floured surface and roll into a rope about 3/4-inch thick. Cut on bias into 1-inch pieces.

Cook gnocchi in boiling water just as you would pasta, 1 to 2 minutes. They will float to the surface and firm up when cooked.

Toss hot gnocchi in sauce of your choice; serve immediately. Serves 5.

Nutritional information unavailable.

“What’s Cooking Hawaii?” airs on KFVE at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and repeats at 3 p.m. Saturdays.